MAITLAND will don black armbands and observe a minute's silence amid today's Newcastle Rugby League grand final in honour of former player Brett Christiansen.
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The Pickers go head-to-head with Souths at McDonald Jones Stadium in the 2023 decider, less than 24 hours after Christiansen passed away.
He was a popular member of the local rugby league community and was better known by his nickname Crito.
Christiansen had recently been in hospital with heart issues and died on Friday night, aged 52.
The Newcastle RL club penned this message on social media on Saturday morning, in the lead up to kick off (2pm).
"The Maitland Pickers Rugby League Club would like to express our sincere condolences to the Christiansen family after the sudden passing of Pickers club legend, Newcastle and Country representative Brett Christiansen. We'll carry you in our hearts today knowing the blood, sweat and tears you shed for our great club."
Maitland were also lining up in a reserve-grade decider.
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Josh Callinan
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
